I am Thankful for...Patience!

What a cool last couple of weeks it has been. We had so much fun in Florida, and it was such a neat experience for me. Bobbi and a team of other women comprised mostly of bass pro wives ran a relay race across the state of Florida...that's 200 miles! I am so proud of my wife, and was so pumped to be a part of her race and to be there to cheer her on! The race started at 6 a.m. on Friday the 19th and ended at 6 p.m. on Saturday the 20th. Bassmaster.com will have a feature on the event, so if you want to know more about it check it out on there.

As far as deer hunting goes, I am still 0 for 0 on big bucks! I know they're around, and I believe that my patience and persistence will eventually pay off. I just got some pictures of a real nice buck on my trail cam I have set up in LQ, so I am looking forward to running into him sometime soon. The Florida trip gave me an opportunity to take some time off from hunting. I have been hitting the woods so hard lately that I think I really needed a little breather. I approach my deer hunting in the same way that I approach a tournament. Stick with a game plan, be patient, and if what you thought was going to work out doens't then don't be afraid to make adjustments. Unlike most bow hunters, I absolutely love hunting the late season. The last few weeks of December have provided some of my best hunting experiences. So, I am staying optimistic, and am just trying to enjoy the time I get to spend outdoors. It is getting to be the time of year where I need to start redirecting my focus to the upcoming season...and the classic! I'm nowhere close to hanging my bow up yet, but I am going to be spending more time preparing for what's to come. We'll call it my happy balance between bassin and bowhunting!

Thanksgiving was good for us this year. Pretty uneventful, but did get to spend some quality family time at home, and I am always thankful for that!

November News

I've been hunting a whole lot this month, but still haven't put one on the ground. Seen a few good ones, but haven't had the shots. To take a buck here at Lake Quivira you have to earn it, so to speak. We have implemented an "earn a buck" program, where in order to shoot a buck you must first harvest 5 does. I need to shoot 2 does this season before I can shoot a buck, and even the does are giving me nothing to work with! Oh well, I live for this time of year, and I just know that sooner or later I'm going to cross paths with the right critters.

BASS just recently announced that there will be a classic berth for the winner of the College Bass Championship starting in 2012. I hope my guys at KSU get to work so that they can have a shot at being a part of it! Alot of the elite series anglers have mixed emotions about this sort of stuff, but in all honesty this is the best way to grow and perpetuate the sport and its industry.

Next week I am going to be rooting for Bobbi and several other fisherman's wives as they relay race across Florida. These girls have been preparing for this for a long time, and I am really excited to show my support for them. I think it will be pretty cool to switch rolls, Bobbi the competitor and me her support. We will be back in time for Thanksgiving, and back in time to get in on the tail end of the rut!

Autumn Update

Wow! I've been so wrapped up in deer hunting that I have completely spaced out my blog! I just got home from being in the stand all day. No bucks on the ground yet, but I did see a couple of shooters, just no shots. That's the way it goes though. I didn't really want to be done with the season anyway, because I just got started!

I got my boat from last year's elite season sold! Which is a big relief for me. I took the wrap off the boat and truck by myself, which I haven't done before. I sold the boat down in Louisiana, with the help of some friends down there. Now I'm making room for my new boat, and working on new sponsorship opportunities. I got to get all of the companies that will be on the new wrap figured out, which is always some work but fun all at the same time.

Been crappie fishing quite a bit lately. Have caught 250 out on LQ since the last blog post. These fish are just stacked up and ready to eat!

Let's see, since the last post we had halloween with the kids, which is always fun watching them on a sugar rush...

BASS was officially sold to the Jerry McKinnis group, which ultimately I think is a good thing. The Elite tournaments and the Classic will still air on ESPN, but now it will all be done under new "management".